


Wishful Thinking

by BaratheonBabe



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AxGxexchange, F/M, Modern AU, furiousfanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1658078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaratheonBabe/pseuds/BaratheonBabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is filling a prompts from furiousfanfiction for the axgexchange. "Abstinence (and wishful thinking)" Dude you came up with some great prompts, but this is the only one I thought I could do justice for you. It's in five parts, sorry it's so freaking long. The first chapter is the longest, all the others are shorter.  </p><p>So the Starks all move down south toward the Tully's about a year after Ned's death and on the first day at her new school Arya gets detention. Instead of regular detention they try and teach you something, which might be a nice if they didn't teach stupid classes like Abstinence Only Sex Ed in there. She, Gendry and Several other students have to suffer through the horribleness for a week, and maybe get into a bit more trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

In the early morning Arya padded lightly down the hardwood stairs bare footed on her way to fetch a cardboard moving box she suspected held her laptop from out of the kitchen.

“I love living so near my sister Lysa, but everytime I see her it frightens me half to death I swear-”

She stopped short hearing her mother on the phone. She was about to retreat away from the stairway and upstairs, but then she heard her name mentioned in the conversation.

“-for Arya I mean. With Lysa after everything with Pyter and Dad-” she whispered the next part low “it’s like she never snapped out of it. She never stopped grieving.”

She paused as whoever she was conversing with on the phone responded “Well yes it’s been hard for everyone - but you know how close Arya was with Ned.”

Arya flinched at that.

“I just don’t know, I just feel like...I just feel like she’s never going to snap out of it. I look at her and it’s like I don’t even know her anymore.”

Arya resisted the urge to bang on the wall with her palm making her presence known. All that would accomplish was attention and she wanted the opposite. Instead she retreated back upstairs to her new room to decompress. 

Her mother didn’t have the right to spectate and broadcast Arya’s grief to whoever she was on the phone with.

They had moved closer to her mothers family following the one year anniversary of death of her father. 

“I don’t have to feel better if I don’t want,” Arya said talking to herself again before eyeing her her backpack. She’d head out early, she thought.

She threw on her boots and a leather jacket Sansa bought her from Cato. She picked up her bag and headed back down the stairs and through the Kitchen. Her mother was off the phone now, making breakfast. 

“Oh you’re up early. I thought you’d be down till noon.”

“It’s a school day,” Arya replied 

“Well I thought you and Sansa and the boys might want to stay home and settle in a bit more. We could unpack.”

“I don’t want to fall behind.” In truth it didn’t matter at all. They could skip the whole week and it wouldn't matter. She and Sansa had taken Midterms at their old school. This week, they just have monday and tuesday and wednesday before everyone here started theirs. 

“It’s just the one day.”

Arya shrugged and picked up an apple heading out the door.

“Sweetheart it’s only five!” her mother called after.

The breath came from her mouth as smoke and soon her ears and nose felt like ice. She progressed down the street lined with apartments into roads speckled with shops. Most were closed.

Her new high school wasn’t as big as her last one up north, and everything was on the ground floor. Her last school didn’t have portable classrooms like this one either. 

The high school had a breakfast, and so she waited in the cafeteria out of the cold for school to start. People buzzed around to find their friends, with their microwaved pancakes and runny scrambled eggs leaving Arya quite alone at her own table. She could not think of a good excuse to talk to anyone, although she might have liked too. 

So instead she played a phone app game until the rest of the school opened up.

Exiting the cafeteria she had some trouble with two boys about her jacket near the trash bins. 

“That looks like a mens Jacket,” the bigger of them commented. 

“Is not, it’s a woman's Jacket. My sister bought it for me. She wouldn't buy anything from mens.”

“What? Did your boyfriend give you it?” The skinny one asked mockingly.

“I told you, it’s a woman’s jacket.”

“Let me try it on,” said the little one grabbing her arm. 

She jerked away “Are you fucking kidding me? Leave me alone. It’s cold.”

After a few shoves back and forth Arya balled up her fist and clocked him in the nose. The whole cafeteria that turned to spectate as Arya and the Skinny boy struggled to throw the other down, his nose bleeding all over. 

His fat friend had picked up a full carton of milk off of someones tray and moved to chuck it at her, but one of the spectators shouted for her to watch it and the carton flew past her and smashed open against a glass door. A boy in jeans and nothing over the top of him but a long sleeve blue tee-shirt, moved in and lifted him up dropping him into a near by trashcan. The boys head, legs and arms stuck out from the top, the rest of him stuck in the can turning him into an overturned turtle.

In all the excitement some of the other students began throwing milk and eggs and pancakes. The boy in the bin tipped it over on it’s side and tried to wiggle himself loose.

The screech of a whistle silenced them and it did not late for long. Most of the room ran out of the cafeteria. Even the Skinny boy she was fighting broke his hold on her shoulders and squirmed out of hers before sprinting off. 

Arya was apprehended by the collar of her jacket, caught by a teachers aid. The fat boy was not going anywhere, and the boy in the blue tee-shirt did not move his feet.

Arya tried to wave him off but he didn’t take her warning.

The three of them told their stories, and the fat boy (who apparently was called Hot-Pie?) weaseled out of any punishment. His mother was on faculty. At Arya’s last school if anything they’d been stricter on the Staff’s children. 

The other boy and herself landed detention. 

“How long for?” Arya asked sitting in a leather chair in front of the principal's desk. 

“Until whenever the betterment class ends,” he said this too her as if she were an old student he was used to seeing, and Arya wondered who she looked like to this man “ You know that.”

Arya didn’t know that, and she didn’t know what a betterment class was. 

“They don’t let us just sit in detention,” the boy told her as they walked through the administration building afterward “They have these different volunteers to come and teach a half hour class after school. Sometimes it’s a week, sometimes two.”

“What do they teach?”

He made air quotes with his hands “Betterment classes.’ I guess they’re trying to fix us. It’s different stuff different times.”

“Oh that’s so stupid. You’d think they’d just make us clean up the Cafeteria.”

“That would be better, and now the Custodians will just be made to do it if they want it done before lunch time. Shame. 

“Yeah.”

“Good job on that Lommy’s nose.” he commented with a grin “He’ll stay well away from you now.”

“He’d better. What’s your name?”

“Gendry. Yours?”

“Arya.” 

The bell rang and they both went their separate ways, and Arya couldn't help but think he must have been cold as hell without a jacket. At least she’d made a friend.

She made a few more over the day, and the sun had even started shining during lunch. She sat outside with two girls and a boy from her Geometry class who all took gymnastics together.

“You should come with us after school! First week of membership is free,” one girl told her.

The other nodded “Yeah!”

She told them that unfortunately she could not. She had already landed after school detention.

After last bell she headed to portable 210 as she had been instructed. She and the boy were not the only ones to have landed detention. There was a girl in neon gym shorts, who had been dress coded and made to wear them as a form of public humiliation. 

“It’s freezing,” she told Arya while they waited outside for their teacher “All because my jeans had a little hole in them. It’s abuse.”

Another boy talked back to a teacher. A freshman girl with a large birthmark on her face and neck was there for reading her text book instead of listening to a long winded lecture that was going nowhere. Lastly was another boy there for texting his girlfriend from another school during class. 

Once their teacher was there they had to go around the room and say who they were. 

Arya was Arya, neon shorts was Alison, the bookworm with the birthmark was Shireen, the boy texting in class was Anguy, and the boy who talked back to his teacher was Ricky. Ricky didn’t like talking much for someone who talked back. 

Gendry was Gendry and he apparently knew Shireen. They were family. 

“I am Mr. Dayton, and this weeks betterment class is going to be learning about preventing STI’s, STD’s and unwanted pregnancy.”

Alison raised her hand “Is that even legal? Don’t our parents have to sign something?”

“Not in High School, not for abstinence only classes.”

Shireen raised her hand now.

“Yes?” Mr. Dayton said. 

“Are you aware that statistically speaking abstinence only sex education is ineffective when compared to comprehensive?”

He shrugged “Take it up with your local representative.” 

“So,” Arya interrupted “we’re going to be learning how not to have sex for five days?

”And looking at repercussions, symptoms of STI’s, statistics.”

“Gross pictures?” Anguy asked. 

“Absolutely! Let’s get started.” 

Today they were spared the pics and given a thirty minute introduction to how the only 100% effective deterrent to unwanted pregnancy was Abstinence until marriage. 

“Total horse shit,” Alison said on their way out of the school. 

“Well birth control and shit dosn’t-” Anguy started before Alison interrupted him. 

“-you don’t fucking need condoms and birth control to prevent pregnancy when you are a big fucking Lesbian. Christ.”

“Oh yeah,” Anguy returned nodding “I didn’t think about that.”

“and what about when you don’t want kids even after your married?” Shireen offered shyly “Why do grown up’s always talk about when we have our own babies. What if you don’t want babies? It’s creepy.”

“Are you just never meant to have sex if you never want kids?” Arya added “Like ever?”

Alison rose her hand “I for one would explode from the frustration...or I guess you could always just masturbate? I don’t know.”

Anguy looked bewildered “Girls masterbate?” 

Gendry covered Shireen’s ears and she shoved his hands away “Cut it out!”

“Sorry,” Anguy offered “Virgin ears...gosh I can’t believe I’m going to have to miss Archery on Thursday for this.”

“What do they do to you if you skip detention?” Arya asked.

“Suspension,” Alison informed them “I’ve got to go pick up my pants from the office. Does anyone want to come skating with me and my girlfriend?”

“Sounds good to me,” Arya said.

“Me too!” Shireen said enthusiastically “I haven’t been to the new skating rink! I want to see it!”

“Don’t you want a ride home?” Gendry asked her.

“Why don’t you come too?” Arya asked. This morning he had seemed open and chatty. In the larger group he was closed off and quiet for the most part she saw. Maybe if he got to know all of them better. It was easier to be friends when all your friends are friends.”

He shrugged “I guess I could. Sure.”

So they all piled into Alison’s Car. Shireen had to sit in Arya’s lap on the way. Ricky turned them down.

It was a cement rink with painted multi colored arrows that showed the correct way to skate. They played popular music (Happy by Pharrell at the moment) and the walls were lined with neon lights. The sold concessions at the back and arcade games stood off to one side of the rink. The aesthetic was retro but everything was very clearly new. New neon, fresh painted arrows, a new colorful carpet, new everything.

“You ever shoot?” Anguy asked her as they struggled up the rink in rented roller blades. Alison and her girlfriend flew by them, this was something they did all the time. 

“No, I mean I tried it at a cousin’s house once but mostly I like fencing.”

“Oh, that sounds cool...”

Gendry caught up with them “Hey, Gendry right?”

He nodded.

“I don’t remember if I said this morning, thanks for helping me out this morning. I’m sorry I got you in trouble though.”

“It’s no problem. They can be pretty rotten.”

“They kept saying I was wearing a men’s jacket.”

He did a double take at the jacket “Arya I think it is one.”

“No it isn’t.”

He laughed “Which side has got the end of the zipper thing on it? Left or right?”

Arya looked down at it still skating “Oh shit, it is a mens jacket.”

He nodded.

“My sister got it for me, I didn’t think she’d do that cause she’s prissy. Does it look weird or something? Maybe that’s why they were yelling about it.”

Gendry shrugged and shook his head “Seems fine to-”

Anguy interrupted “It is pretty big on you. It like swallows you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You asked.”

“Yeah, didn’t ask YOU though.” Arya took off the jacket and had a look at it “I’ve got a better one at home anyway,” she remembered Gendry wasn’t wearing a jacket or a sweater today today and threw it over to him “You have it. It’s too big for me.”

“What?”  
“I’ve got another leather one and and a letterman one, just have it.”

“I’m the one who told you it looked bad!” Anguy argued. 

“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t give it to you!”

He rolled his eyes turning around “I’m going to go get some nachos. Later losers.”

Gendry tried on the jacket at her request.

“Looking sharp!” she said “It suits you.”

“Really? I don’t look lame?”

“No man. You should get one for every day of the week.”

He smiled “I don’t think I need to waste my money on six extra leather jackets.”

“So what electives do you take?”

“Oh, I do the Industrial Tech program so I don’t have any fun ones. Just woodshop and HVAC. Heating and Ventilation. What about you?”

“Just Drama and Ag because they’re fun.”

“Ag? You don’t seem like an Ag person.”

“I like when we get to play with the Animals mostly. What do you think about the High School? You’ve been going longer than I have?”

“It my limited experience, it is the absolute shittiest school I’ve ever been to.”

She laughed and nodded “I get that feel. Nothing to do about it though I guess.”

Alison flew by them shouting “I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG!”

Arya got dropped at her house, and her mother asked her why she was out so late. 

“I was out with friends.”

Sansa, who was reclined on the couch piped up “I told you she texted me Mom.”


	2. Chapter 2

They next day in their betterment class Lommy and Hot-Pie did join them. For just what mischief was untold. They got to skip the introduction, and dive straight into the photographs of horrible dermal illnesses blown up on a projector. 

“I think that one’s you Lommy!” Hot-Pie commented.

Arya rolled her eyes at the poor taste. If this class wasn’t bad enough in the first place, now she had to deal with these clowns for this and three more days. 

Shireen pointed to the projection screen “That’s just a bot fly Larvae! I saw that on the Discovery channel! You don’t get boy fly larvae in your skin from having sex!”

Alison asked in a whisper “What if you have sex with bot flies?”

Everyone laughed but Mr. Dayton singled out Shireen “You want another week of detention smarty pants?”

She sighed “No.”

“That guy is such a dick head,” Anguy said while they were walking out “Kid calls you on your bullshit and you threaten her.”

“I told you it was her boyfriend's Jacket,” Arya heard Lommy tell Hot-Pie quietly.

She rolled her eyes, and hadn't noticed till they said it that  
Gendry was wearing the Jacket. 

She couldn’t blame him, it was a good Jacket.

“You ‘reckon that one’s his too?”

“Womens!” Arya shouted “I’m sure of it this time!”

“Arya,” Aguy pointed out “Which way are the buttons?”

She looked down and sighed. At least she knew this one fit well.

“We should all hang out again,” Anguy said “What do you guys say? We’ll be like the breakfast club with syphilis pics.”

“Yeah,” Arya offered, hoping Hot-Pie and Lommy wouldn't be joining them.

Shireen had a study thing later and her father was picking her up to take her there. Alison, Anguy, and Gendry were all game to come however. They went to Anguy’s to play Mario Kart. Arya went with peach on a a Mach bike, which Anguy thought was pretty funny until she beat his Luigi’s ass every round they played. 

“Come on! It’s meant to be the year of Luigi!”

Gendry crashed into all the walls and fell into every hole he came across. He was a Donkey Kong kind of man, who didn’t like throwing his blue shells. 

Alison picked a different character and kart almost every race. 

They played for a ridiculously long time, consumes a ridiculous about of Anguy’s food, and used a ridiculous amount of foul language. 

Arya decided to head home not long after Alison left. 

“My place isn’t far from here,” she told them.

“Alright,” Anguy pointed to her with his wii-mote “If I ever get you to play smash bros with me though, you’re fucking dead kiddo.”

“Sure thing.”

“Hey, I can give you a ride if you want. It’s dark out.” Gendry said handing his controler away. 

Arya put her hands up “It’s really not so far. It’s like two blocks.”

“Well at least let me walk you? Is that alright.”

“Alright.”

The street was lined with sturdy low lamps that were’nt prone to flickering as well as little tree’s either side of the walk way. It really was a good neighborhood. 

“So you and your sister, where did you live before?”

“You know my sister?”

“No, just Alison mentioned her.”

“Oh. Yeah. We used to live up north.”

“What did you move here for?” 

“My Mother wanted to live closer to family after,” she waved her hand “after my Dad died.”

“Oh, thats rotten.”

She shrugged “It was like a year ago anyway.”

He nodded awkwardly and looked up at the sky, “Do you ever try and find you’re own constellations?” he asked. 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you can try and find all these ones you are suppose to see and never actually find them or you can find your own. I like finding my own.”

“I don’t know if I’m that creative, let’s see…” she looked up as the walked “I see...a dog there.”

“Where?”

After a little pointing, a look a little left, and a look at little up he found her dog. 

“I’m going to call that one Nymeria. That’s what I’d name a real dog if I had one. Now you find one?”

He pointed “Thor’s hammer. It’s kinda crooked but it’s my favorite.”

Arya followed his gaze “Thor’s Hammer, that sounds like it would be a real one.”

“Yeah, hell for all I know it is one.”

“I see...a headless man falling down. See those four make his body and there are stars to make his legs but no head.”

They reached her house but sat on the steps outside in the dark and kept up looking. 

They found a bulls head and a fencing sword, a buck, a goldfish. Twinkling stars and moonlight were always pretty, but it was much more fun with a game. It gave you a reason to look up a long while, and in between the novelty you found a little awe - even just in sparse city stars.

Arya looked straight up “That star is very bright. I bet it’s a part of a real constellation.”

“Probably.”

“I’m going to try and make my own anyway. Maybe it’s a planet…”

She looked at the bright star and all the stars around it for a while “I can’t see how to make one.”

“How about we just name the star then?”

“It probably already has a name...Bullet.”

“Bullet?” he nodded with a pleased smile “Yeah. That’s a great name. That’s bad-ass. ”

The door opened up behind them and Arya looked back. Her mother stood in the doorway looking bewildered.

Gendry gave a shy wave. 

“God’s teeth Arya! It’s pitch black outside!”

“Sorry,” Gendry said standing up awkwardly “I should get going.”

Arya nodded with a “See you tomorrow,” and retreated inside. 

“Who was that?” her mother asked. 

“That’s just Gendry,” she said coming into the living room. Rickon was watching spongebob and she could hear Sansa cooking in the kitchen, and smell it as well. 

Something citrusy and sweet smelling. Lemon?

“Where were you?”

“We were at Anguy’s playing video games.” 

“Are all your freinds boys?”

“No, Alisonand Shireen aren’t.”

“Were they at Anguy’s too?”

Arya sighed making her way upstairs “Yes mother. Alison was.”

“Arya Stark I want you home a little earlier tomorrow alright?”

“Mom!” she said stopping “I was texting Sansa updates every hour! And you said I could hang out this morning!”

“That’s fine for today, I just want you home at least by seven from now on.”

“Seven!”

“On the weekdays, yes Arya! It’s a school night! Do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am,” she said exasperatedly making her way to her room. Was she not happy she was making freinds? Wasn’t that what she wanted? For her to be normal?


	3. Chapter 3

After detention the next day they hung around outside the library for a while. Class had been about trees. Not the kind the grow out of the ground, but the kind where every branch is a different sexual partner and each of those sexual partners has even more partners and all of you get gonorrhea… in a tree. 

“I can’t hang out today,” Alison told them “Margaret is taking me somewhere fancy for dinner.”

“Alison and Margaret sittin’ in a tree, B-A-N-G-I-N-G.”

“Anguy,” Arya said “I don’t think that’s how it goes.”

“Yeah it is! Anyway I can’t today either. I was able to get a late Archery lesson today to replace the early one I’m missing tomorrow.”

“We can!” Shireen said volunteering Gendry as well. 

“I have to go by Cosco actually,” Gendry said.

“But you’re meant to give me a ride home today!”

“I will, but then I have to go grocery shopping for my Mom.” 

“Can’t I come to Cosco?” Shireen asked. 

He shrugged smiling “I guess so,” he turned to Arya “Do you want to come to Cosco?”

She laughed and shook her head “No I’m alright.”

“No really! It’ll be fun.”

She shrugged “Alright. I’ve got nothing else to do.”

Shireen found a shopping cart in the parking lot and insisted on climbing into it. Gendry pushed the cart fast towards the doors before jumping on the back and their momentum carried them a ways before the cart began to tip back. 

“Hey! I want to try!” 

“Climb in with Shireen, it needs more weight up front.”

Arya did and tried to position herself comfortably in the cold plastic basket. 

On the busier ailes Gendry labored to push them slowly around everyone, throwing things from his list in with them. On the Empty aisles he would push the cart as fast as he could and jump on and they would fly. 

On one such occasion he over did it and they nearly crashed into a man in a frumpy business suit. 

“Oh sorry.”

The man, who had a pack of charmin under one arm turned to face them and all three were surprised to know him. 

“Hi Dad,” Shireen said. 

“What are you kids doing? Shireen you know better.”

“We didn’t hurt anyone!” she said defensively while climbing out.

“You nearly did!”

“Sorry.” 

There was a bit of awkward chatter about how the last time he’d seen Arya she was younger than his Shireen and how sorry he was for her loss. He exchanged a few words with Gendry as well, who called him uncle Stannis, but the man didn’t seem fond of him. 

Shireen left with him. 

“How do you-?” Gendry Inquired openly pushing the cart along with her still inside. 

“My Dad was best friends with his brother when they were younger. I didn’t even know he had a daughter. I hardly recognized him. My Dad said he was an okay guy, he seems kind of serious to me.”

“Which brother?” Gendry asked. 

“Oh erm, Robert. We used to call him Uncle Robert.”

“That’s my Dad,” he said pulling down a bag of rice. 

“Really?” she said surprised. 

“Yeah, or my father whatever. We don’t really-” he waved his hands “I don’t really talk to him to much. We don’t get along.”

“Oh yeah?”

“No, I mean we used to sort of? That was before I formed the opinion that he’s a total asshole.”

She laughed “I have to agree with you there.”

He laughed to “We look a lot alike, other than that I am nothing like him...I mean I have a bit of a temper on me but nothing like him. I mean christ.”

“A temper? I can’t imagine.”

“Maybe not a temper actually, maybe just stubborn.”

“Oh yeah, that I can see.”

“And like...I mean honestly, have all the sex you want you know? It’s not my idea of a way to be but I don’t care, but just don’t wreck everyones life in your way like god damn steam roller. Christ.”

“Yeah, yeah I read you….but uh, so you’re like not into sex at all?”

He shrugged “No, I mean it’s fine. Whatever. I’m just not a sex having...steam roller that’s all.”

“Oh, I thought maybe you just didn’t like it.”

“No, it’s fine. It doesn't...sex is good.”

“You’re all flustered, it’s hilarious.”

“Watch it,” he mock warned “I’ve got a temper.”


	4. Chapter 4

Alison was missing from their next class, so afterward they all hopped into Gendry’s truck and went by to see about her but Alison’s aunt turned them away. 

Shireen looked at her facebook page from her phone on the way to her house. It featured such smash hits as Fergie’s Big Girls don’t Cry and The One that Got Away by Katie Perry.

“Ooooh, she changed her relationship status.”

At Shireen’s house they watched Law and Order, when wheels started turning behind his eyes “You guys busy tonight?”

“I landed myself a new curfew,” Arya said. 

“I’ve got one too,” said Shireen “Got to be home by eight.”

Eight?!? No fair! The freshman had more slack in her leash than Arya, and her father was a total stick in the mud. 

“What about you Gendry?”

He shrugged “Free as a bird. Why?”

“Alright, It’ll be just us guys then, unless you guys can sneak out around midnight?”

Shireen shook her head “No, I’ve got a new adventure time special to catch and then it’s bed time.”

Anguy made baby noises at her.

“I don’t much care what you think,” she shot back “I like to sleep at night.”

“What do you mean midnight?” Gendry asked “What the hell for?”

“We’re going to toilet paper her house. It’s a huge place!”

Gendry folded his arms “No way. I don’t want to get in trouble with any rich people.”

“Come on!” Anguy insisted “We’ll never get caught!”

“No. It’s a dumb idea.”

“I can sneak out,” Arya said, not wanting to be left out.

“Are you kidding?” Gendry asked rhetorically. 

“You’re nothing but a big fat chicken.”

“I’m not a chicken. I’m just not stupid.”

“Just you and me then,” Arya told Anguy. John Stamos showed up on screen and she asked aloud “Isn’t that the guy from the yogurt?”

Anguy sung the full house theme song quietly. 

“Uhg,” Shireen said picking up the remote “This one was good the first three times I saw it. We’re watching Spongebob now.”

A little before midnight, Arya threw some clothes under her covers and crept down stairs in black jeans and a black sweater. She grabbed her keys off the hook and went to wait at the curb, locking the door behind her. 

She was very surprised to see Gendry’s truck pulling up not to long later, with Anguy at the wheel and Gendry in the bed. 

“I can’t believe you’re letting that one drive,” Arya said to Gendry climbing in as well. 

They drove out to a place that was almost twenty minutes away, Alison’s Exes. The house was huge. Three stories, little balconies out every window, one big window in the center of the middle floor from which they could see a huge christmas tree with golden lights.

They went to work on the trees in the front yard first. Arya wasn’t very good at it. Neither was Gendry. Anguy though, Anguy was a master. He had done this before, she was sure of it. They saved the house for last, but only two rolls had found their way tangled up in window balconies before they heard the tiny squawky barks of toy dogs and motored back to the truck. 

Aguy hopped in to start the engine, Arya climbed back of the truck followed by Gendry who tapped twice on the side, signaling for them to peel out. 

The cold wind whipped through Arya’s hair as they sped away from the the two big trees and all of the bushes that were totally covered. She watch the paper as it billowed in the breeze, until they were round the corner. 

The pulled onto a highway in order to blend in with other cars for a while and advert suspicion. The speed made Arya feel dizzy. He and Arya laid down flat in order not to be seen.

She could see and hear Gendry was saying something but the wind was taking most of his voice away with it. 

“What!” she shouted, but she was sure it reached him as a whisper. 

“I said this is nuts!” he shouted before shaking his head and leaning close to her, his cold nose touching her ear as he said “I can’t believe we went along with this.”

“Yeah,” she returned her nose warmed by his skin now “Why did you end up coming along anyway?”

“Because you were going.” 

Arya nodded and didn’t think anything else of it until he stretched forward and kissed the corner of her mouth. 

After getting dropped off Arya walked in the door at exactly the wrong moment, her mother in the middle of walking downstairs in her robe. 

“What?-” her mother stope confused “Arya were you out?”

Arya thought fast and pointed behind her out the door “Just in the yard Mom. Some kids from school stopped by even though I told them not too so I told them to go away.”

Her mother cocked her head to the side, looking suspicious “Arya you should have come and got me...”

“I took care of it,” she said going into the kitchen, her mother followed her turning on the light. 

“Who was it who came by then? That Gendry boy from before?”

“Oh no,” Arya said “No it was Lommy and them. They aren’t my crowd really. They just show up where they aren’t wanted.”

“You really ought to have come and got me,” she said taking the orange juice out of the refrigerator “It’s so dark outside. My god it’s one o’clock!” she turned away from the clock to Arya who was pulling down a carton of coco, her expression was angry “What was anyone thinking showing up here one?”

“It’s not my fault,” she said coming to fetch the milk from the fridge and a mug from the cabinet “I told them not too.”

Her mother brushed back some of Arya’s hair as she went by “Your hair is a mess, you’re as cold as ice!”

Arya stirred milk and cocoa into mug before popping it into the microwave “Just went to tell them to get lost.”

She did not look convinced “Arya listen to me. You come home with your sister tomorrow strait after school, you understand?”

“But mom it’s Friday! It isn’t even my fault!”

“You still haven’t finished your unpacking yet anyhow. Just for tomorrow I’d feel better if you stay with your sister. Who is this Lommy? I’ll get him sorted straight out.”

“Mom it’s fine! They’re harmless, just annoying I swear.”

“Arya I mean it!”

“Fine!” she said rolling her eyes and retreating out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Her mother called out to her then. 

“And don’t forget! Jon’s coming out to visit!”

Was he? Arya hadn’t heard a word about it until then. Maybe she meant for Christmas?


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Arya was walking to school with her bag slung over her shoulder, the morning sun glinting against all the windows. It was the first clear blue morning since they’d moved. Some of the neighbors had started putting up lights for christmas, and one or two of them had forgotten to turn them off last night. There were wreaths on red doors with holly berries or mistletoe berries.

“What’s up with you?” Sansa said nudging her shoulder. 

“What do you mean?”

“You’re just all-” she looked up at the sky and gave a mocking contented sigh. 

“What? No I’m not.”

“Yes you are. Is it all the pretty Christmas things?”

“No. I mean they’re fine and everything but I’m not, I’m not doing anything differently.”

Sansa shrugged “If you say so.”

That day Arya got to school later than she usually did, since she was to go straight there and straight back with her sister instead of their early back late. 

On Fridays they had a 50 minute lunch with the entire school instead of three fifteen minute lunch periods, and so every class was a little short. The day passed seemingly quicker because of this. In science they had a group lab and that was fun. At lunch she ate with her Gymnastic friends like she always did. In her spare time though she had a walk around. 

She came across alison and her girlfriend, who had apparently gotten back together almost immediately. 

“Someone toilet papered my house last night!” she declared to their table. 

“Who?”

“No idea. My mom is a state senator, so it could be a lot of people.”

Their breakup had been mutual over a silly argument and lasted less than 48 hours.

She saw Anguy and some of his boys waiting outside the cafeteria. They had a clever scheme of one of them going in every few minutes and stealing a carton of chocolate milk. 

“We just say we forgot it when we were getting our lunch if anyone ever asks. No one ever does. They probably know and just don’t care. People leave their milk all the time anyway. It’s no loss to the school.”

“What’s the point?” she asked. 

“We just like chocolate milk. Doesn't everyone?”

Just then Gendry walked out with a carton of chocolate milk and no lunch tray. 

“Oh, are you a part of this master criminal scheme as well?”

He nodded “People leave the ones they payed for all the time anyhow. They get water and stuff.”

“See!” Anguy said “It’s totally hurting no one.”

Arya and Gendry went to the library, which was warmer than both the cafeteria and courtyard, as well as a lot quieter. 

“So guess what?” Arya whispered as the hid behind the backmost book case with Gendry’s stolen milk. Milk wasn’t allowed in the library, not even water bottles. 

“What?”

“Alison is already back together with her girlfriend.”

He laughed as quiet as he could resting his head back against the books “Oh shit!”

“I know right?”

“Does she have any idea who did it?”

“Not the last time I talked to her. I don’t think Anguy is likely to mention it to her.”

That day in Detention they watched finding nemo. 

“Is this to precaution us on the dangers of single parenthood?” someone asked. 

He did not respond to that. 

They were allowed to leave thirty minutes into it, but most everyone stayed to finish it. Hot-Pie sung along with “Just keep swimming,” and arya laughed. He didn’t have a bad voice. 

Arya turned on her phone outside. She had 14 missed calls.

“Oh shit,” she dialed Sansa immediately.

“What the hell Arya!”

“I’m sorry! I forgot! I was in detention, I’m just so sleepy I forgot.”

“You got Detention?”

“Yeah, I forgot to tell Mom. Is she mad?”

“Oh she’s worse than mad. You’d better talk to her straight away. I’ll go get her.”

She heard Sansa running down the stairs and then giving the phone to their Mom. 

“Arya?” she didn’t sound so Angry. 

“Hi Mom! I’m sorry, I forgot-”

“Arya Lyanna!”

And there went the middle name. As in “Robb Rickard Stark! I’m surprised at you!” or “Sansa Minisa! How dare you hit that boy!” 

“I have been worried sick. Sansa didn’t even know where to find you! You didn’t even text this time, after I specifically told you to come straight home!”

“Mom! Mom I forgot to tell you I had detention today?”

Anguy, who had been standing idly by with the others winced back “Ohhh, I don’t think that’ll help.”

“Oh? Oh detention? Well that makes it a lot better now doesn't it? What for?”

“I got into a little bit of a fight.”

“...a fight?”

“Yeah! It wasn’t my fault!”

Hot-Pie interrupted “I can tell her it was my fault is it helps?”

“I don’t think that’ll help, but I appreciate it.”

“You have come home late ever day this week! I set a curfew, you go out in the middle of the night, I tell you to come straight home, you stay out and don’t even bother telling Sansa where you were? Is being contrary and hateful to me not enough now, you have to take it out your little grudge at the world on your sister?”

“I didn’t mean to leave her hanging Mom!”

“You know what, that’s fine-”

“-You aren’t even listening to me!”

“You never bother listening to me either. That’s all fine, if you don’t want to come home don’t bother. Just...don’t bother coming home at all.”

Arya let that hang for a minute “Alright, fine. I’ll stay somewhere else this weekend.”

“Just…” she sighed “You can stay at -”

Arya hung up. A small crowd of silent, bewildered faces stood around her. 

“Any volunteers?”

Anguy shrugged “If you were a guy I don’t think my Mom would mind. We could cut all your hair off.”

Alison shrugged “I could cancel with Marg, if you need a place to stay.”

“Or with me,” Shireen offered “I was having a sleepover with my cousin...or you could just come with! It’s at uncle roberts and their house is hudge.”

“I don’t want to put you guys out...or cut all my hair of. Not today anyway.”

“My mom works nights this weekend,” Gendry offered shyly “You could just have her room for the night, or mine. Doesn't matter.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

Shireen left for her sleepover early and the rest of them bought some friday taco bell went to the park near the river. They hung out on the deserted dock.

“I’ve got to slow down next week,” Anguy said “I’m exhausted.”

“Me too,” Alison agreed “I mean we should still hang out but this week has been crazy.”

Arya didn’t feel that way. She thrived on being social, she could do this every week all week.

Gendry was worse off than the other two. He was agitated often in a big groups of people.

“It’s freezing out here,” was all he said. 

Arya wasn’t feeling to chatty that afternoon either. 

Afterword the others dispersed and they headed back to gendry’s. It was a small apartment, but it was just his mother and himself, not a big family like hers. 

“If it’s a bother I can probably stay at my Grandfather’s,” she said throwing her bag down next to his in the kitchen “or one of my uncles, or my aunt.”

“If you want. Would they be all pissy and put out?”

“...Mmmm, I don’t know. Probably most of them. I don’t know them that well.”

“Well you’re welcome here...do you think you should call your mom back though?”

Arya shrugged “She hasn’t called me.”

“Come on,” he said walking off “you should pick a room.”

The first room had a twin bed, so she assumed it was his. 

His mother’s room had a queen pushed into a corner and she’d left a lap top there. 

“Oh hey, do you want to watch a movie?”

They sat at the end of his mother's bed and watched Pacific Rim, the new Carrie AND Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters all online and all in one sitting. 

“That one,” Arya said stretched out on her stomach “Was fantastic.”

“I don’t know,” he said “Kind of cheesy really. Pacific Rim was better.”

“You can’t compare everything in life to Pacific Rim.”

“Yes I can.”

She yawned and closed the laptop “I don’t guess you want to go look at stars?”

“I kind of don’t want to move is all.”

“You know, I always wish that movies would end differently than the last time I saw them.”

“Hmm?”

“Something bad always happens at the end, and it’s- well sometimes it’s things that can’t change but most of the time if things would have happened a little differently everything would have been fine.”

He looked over at her “Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s bullshit. It’s like, why do people have to fuck shit up all the time? Just don’t poor pigs blood on people. It’s not hard. Don’t fucking stab people. Why do people fuck shit up when everyone is happy? All it takes, is being in the wrong place at the wrong time for a second. It shouldn't count.”

“What do you wish didn’t happen?”

She shrugged “My Dad was a cop. It was a stabbing.”

Gendry nodded but didn’t say anything. 

“My Mom just wants to take care of me, and I’ve been really shitty to her for something that isn’t even her fault. It’s not like I’m the only one who lost him.”

She felt an ache rising in her throat and tears in her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand and Gendry wrapped two arms around her. 

He didn’t say anything else the whole time she was crying. He just stayed there. They fell asleep just that way. 

Not long after that though, a knock on the door woke them up. 

They got up to see who it was, and Arya was very surprised to see her brother Jon standing outside Gendry’s door. 

“Hey,” she said opening the door “How’d you know I was here?”

“Sansa asked your other friend on facebook.”

She stepped outside and gave him a big hug “I didn’t mean to miss your visit.”

“You didn’t,” he said “I just came down tonight. Your Mother called me earlier in the week about coming to see you but I couldn't make it till now. School and all.”

“Are you staying for Christmas?”

He nodded “Yeah. She’s worried sick about you.”

She nodded “I know. I’m going to fix it.”

He peered around in the door giving Gendry a suspicious look. 

“Hey.”

Gendry waved “Hey.”

Arya interrupted the awkwardness “So you driving me home big brother?”

He nodded “If that’s where you want to go little sister.”

“Yeah, I think I want to stay home for a while.”

She gave Gendry a hug goodbye and they headed home.


End file.
